145-629: The UK Seniors Championship is a snooker tournament, part of the World Seniors Tour . The event was created in 2017, as a part of the World Seniors Tour . The first UK Senior championship took place in October 2017, and was won by Jimmy White . The 2018 UK Seniors Championship took place at the Hull Venue , in Hull , England and was won by Ken Doherty who beat Igor Figueiredo in
290-529: A rest or spider . When he first displayed this left-handed ability in the 1996 World Championship against Alain Robidoux , the Canadian accused him of disrespect and refused to shake hands after the match. O'Sullivan is highly regarded in snooker, with several of his peers regarding him as the greatest player ever, and some labelling him a "genius". After losing 17–6 to O'Sullivan in
435-421: A " re-spotted black ". The black ball is returned to its designated spot and the cue ball is played in-hand , meaning that it may be placed anywhere on or within the lines of the "D" to start the tiebreak. The player to take the first strike in the tiebreak is chosen at random, and the game continues until one of the players either wins the frame by potting the black ball or loses the frame by committing
580-512: A "cue"), not less than 3 ft (91.4 cm) in length, which is used to strike the cue ball. The tip of the cue must only make contact with the cue ball and is never used for striking any of the reds or colours directly. Snooker accessories include: chalk for the tip of the cue, to help apply spin on the cue ball; various different rests such as the swan or spider , for playing shots that are difficult to play by hand; extensions for lengthening
725-411: A "dictatorship", protested alleged mistreatment by snooker's authorities by giving robotic or monosyllabic responses in interviews, and refused opportunities to make maximum breaks in apparent protest over inadequate prize money for the achievement. In 2018, he threatened to form a breakaway snooker tour akin to the split in darts . During the 2020 World Championship , O'Sullivan publicly criticised
870-426: A 155 break, achieved by nominating the free ball as an extra red, then potting the black as the additional colour after potting the free-ball red, followed by the fifteen reds with blacks, and finally the colours. Jamie Cope was the first player to achieve a verified 155 break during a practice frame in 2005. One game of snooker is called a "frame", and a snooker match generally consists of
1015-582: A challenge basis in 1964. At the end of 1968, the World Snooker Championship reverted to a knockout tournament format, with eight competitors; the tournament concluded in 1969 with John Spencer winning the title. The BBC had first launched its colour television service in July 1967; in 1969, David Attenborough , then the controller of BBC2 , commissioned the snooker tournament television series Pot Black primarily to showcase
1160-554: A controlling interest in the World Snooker Tour , pledging to revitalise the "moribund" professional game. Over the following decade, the number of professional tournaments increased, with 44 events held in the 2019–20 season . Snooker tournaments were adapted to make them more suitable for television audiences, with some tournaments being played over a shortened duration, or the Snooker Shoot Out , which
1305-518: A daughter. He began dating actress Laila Rouass in 2012, and became engaged to her in 2013. Rouass announced on social media in February 2022 that they had ended their ten-year relationship. The couple later reconciled, but in September 2024 were reported to have broken up again. He is known for his perfectionism and for being highly self-critical, even in victory. Early in his career, he
1450-461: A foul. Professional and competitive amateur matches are officiated by a referee who is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of players and making decisions "in the interests of fair play". The responsibilities of the referee include announcing the points scored during a break, determining when a foul has been committed and awarding penalty points and free balls accordingly, replacing colours onto their designated spots after being potted, restoring
1595-409: A foul. This can occur for various reasons, such as sending the cue ball into a pocket or failing to hit the object ball. The latter is a common foul committed when a player fails to escape from a "snooker", where the previous player has left the cue ball positioned such that no legal ball can be struck directly in a straight line without being wholly or partially obstructed by an illegal ball. Fouls incur
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#17327881206561740-406: A minimum of four penalty points unless a higher-value object ball is involved in the foul, up to a maximum of seven penalty points where the black ball is concerned. When a foul is committed, the offending player's turn ends and the referee announces the penalty. All points scored in the break before the foul occurred are awarded to the striker, but no points are scored for any ball pocketed during
1885-559: A nomination since Hendry in 1990. He was nominated for a second time in December 2022 . However, O'Sullivan sometimes lacks confidence or interest, and has performed inconsistently throughout his career, with observers noting the "two Ronnies" aspect of his character. Other sportsmen have publicly praised O'Sullivan with tennis player, Novak Djokovic saying: "I watch snooker because of Ronnie O'Sullivan". After Barry Hearn took charge of World Snooker in 2010, O'Sullivan became
2030-412: A part of the original rules. Each ball has a diameter of 2 + 1 ⁄ 16 inches (52.5 mm). At the start of the game, the red balls are racked into a tightly packed equilateral triangle , and the colours are positioned at designated spots on the table. The cue ball is placed inside the "D" ready for the break-off shot. Each player has a snooker cue (or simply
2175-589: A pig farm for several weeks. He enjoys running, and has achieved a personal best of 34 minutes and 54 seconds for 10 km races , which ranked him in the top 1,500 10 km runners in the UK in 2008. He enjoys cooking, and appeared on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen in December 2014 and February 2021. He also enjoys motor racing, and has appeared on series 4 of Top Gear . He is a supporter of Arsenal FC . Despite
2320-515: A predefined sequence, accumulating points for each successful pot and for each foul committed by the opposing player or team. An individual frame of snooker is won by the player who has scored the most points, and a snooker match ends when a player wins a predetermined number of frames. In 1875, army officer Neville Chamberlain , stationed in India, devised a set of rules that combined black pool and pyramids . The word snooker
2465-447: A predetermined number of frames. Most matches in current professional tournaments are played as the best of 7, 9, or 11 frames, with finals usually the best of 17 or 19 frames. The World Championship uses a longer format, with matches ranging from the best of 19 frames in the first round to best of 35 for the final, which is played over four sessions of play held over two days. Some early world finals had much longer matches, such as
2610-543: A professional English billiards and snooker player, raised the game from a recreational pastime to a professional sporting activity. He retired from the world championships in 1946, having won all fifteen tournaments held up to that date. Snooker declined in popularity in the post-war era; the 1952 World Snooker Championship was contested by only two players and was replaced by the World Professional Match-play Championship , which
2755-606: A record 32 appearances in the final stages of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible , surpassing the previous record of 30 appearances set by Steve Davis . O'Sullivan made his first competitive century break at age 10 and his first competitive maximum break at age 15. He was the first player to achieve 1,000 century breaks in professional competition, a milestone he reached in 2019 and which he has since extended to over 1,200 centuries. He has made
2900-497: A record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most ranking titles , with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times. After winning amateur titles including the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship , O'Sullivan turned professional in 1992, aged 16. He won his first ranking event at
3045-427: A record seven UK titles, attaining a total of 19 Triple Crown titles to surpass Hendry's total of 18. During the 2017–18 season , he won five ranking events. He defeated Neil Robertson 10–4 in the final to win the 2019 Players Championship . In the last frame of the match, he made his 1,000th century break in professional competition, becoming the first player to reach that milestone. He won his 36th ranking title at
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#17327881206563190-403: A rectangular playing surface measuring 11 ft 8.5 in × 5 ft 10.0 in (356.9 cm × 177.8 cm). The playing surface is surrounded by small cushions along each side of the table. The height of the table from the floor to the top of the cushions is 2 ft 10.0 in (86.4 cm). The table has six pockets : one at each corner and one at
3335-456: A red ball constitutes a foul , which results in penalty points being awarded to the opponent. At the end of each shot, the cue ball remains in the position where it has come to rest, unless it has entered a pocket (from where it is returned to the "D"), ready for the next shot. If the cue ball finishes in contact with an object ball, a touching ball is called; the player must then play away from that ball without moving it, otherwise
3480-748: A self-professed interest in Islam , O'Sullivan denied media reports that said he had converted to the religion in 2003. He has also espoused an interest in Buddhism , having spent many lunchtimes at the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green . He has said he does not have a firm commitment to any religion. O'Sullivan was made an OBE in the New Year Honours list in 2016, for services to snooker. O'Sullivan has been
3625-609: A separate qualification stage. Players can qualify for the tour by virtue of their position in the world rankings from prior seasons, by winning continental championships, or through the Challenge Tour or Q School events. Players on the World Snooker Tour generally gain a two-year "tour card" for participation in the events. Beginning in the 2014–15 season , some players have also received invitational tour cards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to
3770-421: A series of timed tournaments: the shot-timed Premier League Snooker , held between 1987 and 2012, featured seven players invited to compete at regular United Kingdom venues and was televised on Sky Sports . The players had twenty-five seconds to take each shot, with each player allowed five time-outs per match. The format did achieve some success but was not afforded the same amount of press attention or status as
3915-572: A significant public funding opportunity for the sport and boost its global exposure. A trial of the format for cue sports to be played at the 2024 Games was conducted at the 2019 World Team Trophy , which also featured nine-ball and carom billiards . Snooker has been contested at the World Games since 2001 and was included as an event at the 2019 African Games . Several players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan , Mark Allen and Steve Davis, have claimed that there are too many tournaments in
4060-578: A slang term used in the British Army to describe new recruits and inexperienced military personnel; Chamberlain used the word to deride the inferior performance of a young fellow officer at the table. The new game of snooker featured in an 1887 issue of the Sporting Life newspaper in England, which led to a growth in popularity. Chamberlain was revealed to be the inventor, 63 years after
4205-810: A snooker academy in the Middle East, and to contribute to the development of the sport in the region. At the 2024 Shanghai Masters , O'Sullivan lost 3–10 to Trump in the semi-finals, his first defeat at the tournament since 2016, after 20 consecutive match wins. O'Sullivan's other career highlights include three World Grand Prix titles, two Players Championship titles, four Welsh Open titles, two Scottish Open titles, two German Masters titles, four Irish Masters titles, two China Open titles, two Champions Cup titles, ten Premier League titles, four Champion of Champions titles, three Scottish Masters titles, and five Shanghai Masters titles. Known for his fast and attacking style of play, O'Sullivan gained
4350-415: A snooker table is usually a form of tightly woven woollen green baize , with a directional nap that runs lengthwise from the baulk end of the table to the far end near the black ball spot . The nap affects the speed and trajectory of the balls, depending on the direction of the shot and whether any side spin is placed on the ball. Even if the cue ball is struck in precisely
4495-573: A supporter of the Labour Party . But in June 2024, he endorsed Faiza Shaheen , the independent candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green , in the 2024 General Election . In June 2023 he was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs . An extended version of the programme was broadcast in October 2024. His book choice was Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn , his luxury item
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4640-585: A suspended two-year ban and a £20,000 fine. After winning the 1998 Irish Masters , he was stripped of his title and prize money when a post-match drug test found evidence of cannabis in his system. O'Sullivan subsequently acknowledged frequent abuse of drugs and alcohol in the early years of his career, which resulted in spells in the Priory Hospital for rehabilitation. He reached his first World final in 2001 , where he defeated John Higgins 18–14 to claim his first World title and reached number two in
4785-585: A tiebreaker. These early rules are similar to those used in the modern game, although rules for a minimal point penalty were imposed later. Played in 1926 and 1927, the first World Snooker Championship —then known as the Professional Championship of Snooker —was won by Joe Davis . The Women's Professional Snooker Championship (now the World Women's Snooker Championship ) was created in 1934 for top female players. Davis, himself
4930-416: A time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds, it remains the fastest competitive maximum break in snooker history, which is listed as a Guinness World Record. He won his second UK title later that year at the 1997 UK Championship . Despite these successes, his career also became marred by controversy in the late 1990s. During the 1996 World Championship , he assaulted an assistant press officer, for which he received
5075-459: A triangle, and black pool , which involved potting designated balls. Snooker was further developed in 1882 when its first set of rules was finalised by British Army officer Neville Chamberlain , who helped devise and popularise the game at Stone House in Ootacamund on a table built by Burroughes & Watts that had been sent to India by sea. At the time, the word snooker was
5220-415: A two-year rolling points system, where points are allocated to the players according to the prize money earned at designated tournaments. This "rolling" list is maintained and updated throughout the season, with points from tournaments played in the current season replacing points earned from the corresponding tournaments of two seasons ago. Additionally, "one-year" and "two-year" ranking lists are compiled at
5365-405: A vocal critic of how Hearn reconfigured the professional tour. He took issue with increased travel expectations, flat 128 draws that required top professionals to play more rounds against lower ranked opponents, reduced prize money for maximum breaks, and tournament venues he saw as inadequate. He accused snooker's governing body WPBSA of bullying and intimidating him, claimed that Hearn was running
5510-545: A year and fined £1,200, as he returned from the International Open, in Bournemouth, after defeat in the last 16. O'Sullivan has three children: a daughter named Taylor-Ann (born 1997) from a two-year relationship with Sally Magnus, as well as a son and a daughter from a relationship with Jo Langley, whom he met at Narcotics Anonymous . He became a grandfather in October 2018 after Taylor-Ann gave birth to
5655-399: Is a first cousin of snooker player Maria Catalano , who has been ranked number one in the women's game. In 1992 his father was sentenced to life in prison for murder and was released in 2010 after serving 18 years. His mother was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion in 1996, leaving O'Sullivan to care for his eight-year-old sister Danielle. In 1995 he was banned from driving for
5800-449: Is a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker . Competitive snooker is also available to non-professional players, including seniors and people with disabilities. The popularity of snooker has led to the creation of many variations based on the standard game but with different rules or equipment, including six-red snooker , the short-lived " snooker plus " and the more recent Snooker Shoot Out version. Snooker originated in
5945-518: Is a timed, one- frame competition. The prize money for professional events increased, with the top players earning several million pounds over the course of their careers. During the COVID-19 pandemic , the professional tour was confined to events played within the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the 2022–23 season , only two professional ranking tournaments were played outside the UK,
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6090-542: Is considered to be the second most important ranking tournament after the World Championship. These two events, and the annual non-ranking Masters tournament, make up snooker's Triple Crown Series; among the oldest competitions on the professional circuit, the Triple Crown events are valued by many players as the most prestigious. As of April 2024 , only eleven players have won all three events,
6235-405: Is disappointing and unacceptable that in 2019 that [ sic ] players such as Rebecca Kenna have been the victim of antiquated discriminatory practices." The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Snooker said, "The group believes that being prevented from playing in a club because of gender is archaic." After the creation of the World Snooker Championship, snooker overtook billiards as
6380-629: Is dying right in front of our eyes", and stating that some players ranked within the world's top 30 were seeking jobs outside the sport due to lack of earning potential from tournaments. Non-professional snooker (including youth competition) is governed by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF). The highest level competition in the amateur sport is the IBSF World Snooker Championship. Events held specifically for seniors are handled by
6525-527: Is the oldest snooker competition still being played in the world. Snooker is a mixed gender sport that affords men and women the same opportunities to progress at all levels of the game. While the main professional tour is open to male and female players alike, there is also a separate women's tour organised by World Women's Snooker (formerly the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association) which encourages female players to participate in
6670-429: Is the only player to have made 1,000 career century breaks , and he holds the record for the most maximum breaks compiled in professional competition, having achieved his 15th in October 2018. O'Sullivan also holds the record for the most ranking titles (41) and most Triple Crown titles (23) achieved in the sport. Some versions of snooker, such as six-red or ten-red snooker , are played with almost identical rules to
6815-465: The object balls are positioned on the table as shown in illustration A. Starting with the cue ball in the "D", the first player executes a break-off shot by striking the cue ball with the tip of their cue, aiming to hit any of the red balls in the triangular pack . The players then take alternating turns at playing shots, with the aim of potting a red ball into a pocket and thereby scoring one point. Failure to make contact with
6960-399: The 1947 World Snooker Championship , which was played over the best of 145 frames. Professional snooker players compete on the World Snooker Tour, which is a circuit of world ranking tournaments and invitational events held throughout the snooker season. All competitions are open to professional players who have qualified for the tour, and selected amateur players, but most events include
7105-483: The 1959 News of the World Snooker Plus Tournament , this variant failed to gain popularity and is no longer played. Power Snooker was a short-lived cue sport based on aspects of snooker and pool; this was first played competitively in 2010 and again in 2011 , but the format was discontinued after it failed to gain widespread appeal. Using nine red balls racked in a diamond-shaped pack at
7250-678: The 1993 UK Championship aged 17 years and 358 days; he remains the youngest player to win a ranking title. He is also the youngest player to win the Masters, having claimed his first title in 1995 , aged 19 years and 69 days. Now also noted for his longevity in the sport, he is the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events, having won his seventh world title in 2022 , aged 46 years and 148 days; his eighth UK Championship title in 2023 , aged 47 years and 363 days; and his eighth Masters title in 2024 , aged 48 years and 40 days. As of 2024 , he has made
7395-402: The 2006 UK Championship , he abruptly conceded the match during the sixth frame and left the arena. Hendry was awarded the match 9–1 and O'Sullivan was fined £20,800 over the incident. In 2007, O'Sullivan won his third Masters title and his fourth UK Championship , which was his first ranking title in almost three years. He won his third World title in 2008 , defeating Ali Carter 18–8 in
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#17327881206567540-452: The 2008 World Championship semi-final, Hendry described him as "the best player in the world by a country mile". In 2024, Hendry agreed that there was no longer any question as to whether O'Sullivan was the greatest snooker player of all time, also calling him an "artist". However, O'Sullivan himself has dismissed the suggestion that he is the greatest player and has identified Hendry as the greatest due to his domination of snooker. One of
7685-493: The 2019 Tour Championship , equalling Hendry's record and attaining the world number one ranking for the first time since May 2010. At the 2020 World Championship , O'Sullivan came from 14 to 16 behind in the semi-final against Selby to win 17–16. He then defeated Kyren Wilson 18–8 in the final to win his sixth world title. The tournament marked his 28th consecutive Crucible appearance, surpassing Hendry's record of 27 consecutive appearances. He reached his 58th ranking final at
7830-414: The 2021 Tour Championship , breaking Hendry's record of 57 ranking final appearances, but lost 10–4 to Neil Robertson . During the tournament, he made his 1,100th century break in professional competition. He lost five consecutive ranking finals in the 2020–21 season , but ended a 16-month title drought by winning his 38th ranking title at the 2021 World Grand Prix . O'Sullivan defeated Trump 18–13 in
7975-506: The 2022 Hong Kong Masters . The final was played before an estimated 9,000 spectators, the largest audience ever to attend a snooker match. At the 2023 World Snooker Championship , O'Sullivan made a record 31st Crucible appearance, surpassing the previous record of 30 by Steve Davis . He made his 200th Crucible century break and his 1,200th century in professional competition during his second-round match against Hossein Vafaei . His reached
8120-455: The 2022 World Championship final to win his seventh world title, equalling Hendry for the most world titles in the modern era . Aged 46 years and 148 days, he became the oldest World Champion in snooker history, surpassing Reardon, who won his last title in 1978 aged 45 years and 203 days. O'Sullivan also surpassed Hendry's record of 70 Crucible wins, setting a new record of 74. O'Sullivan defeated Marco Fu 6–4 to win
8265-499: The 2023 UK Championship and the 2024 Masters , respectively defeating Ding Junhui and Ali Carter 10–7 in the finals. This extended his record number of ranking titles to 40 and Triple Crown titles to 23. Aged 47 years and 363 days when he won the UK Championship, and 48 years and 40 days when he won the Masters, he became the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events. He also became simultaneously
8410-573: The Billiards Association and Control Club was formed. As a professional sport, snooker is now governed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association . The World Snooker Championship first took place in 1927 , and Joe Davis —a key figure and pioneer in the early growth of the sport—won fifteen successive world championships between 1927 and 1946. The "modern era" of snooker began in 1969 after
8555-640: The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield , where it has been staged ever since, and the 1978 World Snooker Championship was the first to receive daily television coverage. Snooker quickly became a mainstream sport in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and much of the Commonwealth , and has remained consistently popular since the late 1970s, with most of the major tournaments being televised. In 1985 , an estimated 18.5 million viewers stayed up until
8700-765: The European Masters in Fürth and the German Masters in Berlin, while lucrative Chinese events remained off the calendar. Snooker referees are an integral part of the sport, and some have become well-known personalities in their own right. Len Ganley , John Street and John Williams officiated at seventeen of the first twenty World Snooker finals held at the Crucible Theatre. Since 2000, non-British and female referees have become more prominent in
8845-590: The Midweek Matchzone show with Chris Hood on Brentwood radio station Phoenix FM . In 2017, he starred in miniseries Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle with broadcasting friend Matt Smith , in which the pair toured different cities in the United States learning the art of pool hustling . O'Sullivan has written three crime novels in collaboration with author Emlyn Rees: Framed (2016), Double Kiss (2017), and The Break (2018). Although
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#17327881206568990-464: The Players Series , use the one-year ranking list to qualify; these use the results of the current season to denote participants. There are approximately 128 places available on the World Snooker Tour each season. As of the 2024–25 season , players in the top 64 on the official ranking list are guaranteed a tour place for the next season, as well as a maximum of 31 players who are currently on
9135-491: The antisocial nature of solitary practice in a darkened environment can stunt players' personal development. He stated that he would not support his own children if they chose to become snooker players, and said that if he could live his sporting career over again, he would pursue golf or Formula One instead. Eurosport signed an exclusive deal with O'Sullivan in March 2014 to make him its global ambassador for snooker, with
9280-528: The following season , he took an extended break from the professional tour. Despite having played only one competitive match all season, he returned to the Crucible for the 2013 World Championship and successfully defended his World title, defeating Barry Hawkins 18–12 in the final. In his 2014 Masters quarter-final against Ricky Walden , he set a new record for the most points scored without reply in professional competition, with 556, and went on to beat
9425-452: The professional tour , he has been disciplined on several occasions by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for his behaviour and comments. Outside his playing career, he works as a pundit for Eurosport 's snooker coverage and has written crime novels, autobiographies, and a health and fitness book. He features in the 2017 miniseries Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle, which shows him competing against pool hustlers in
9570-414: The 11th World Snooker Champion since 1927. He won six world titles altogether (in 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1987–1989) and competed in the most-watched snooker match, the 1985 World Snooker Championship final, which he lost to Dennis Taylor. Stephen Hendry became the 14th World Snooker Champion in 1990, aged 21 years and 106 days, the youngest player ever to have lifted the world title. He dominated
9715-532: The UK—the BBC dedicated 400 hours to snooker in 2007, compared to just 14 minutes 40 years earlier. However, the British public's interest in snooker had waned significantly by the late 2000s. Warning that the sport was "lurching into terminal crisis", The Guardian newspaper predicted in 2010 that snooker would cease to exist as a professional sport within ten years. In the same year, promoter Barry Hearn gained
9860-599: The United States, and in the 2023 documentary film Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything . He was awarded an OBE in 2016 . O'Sullivan began playing snooker at age 7 and soon became a noted amateur competitor, winning his first club tournament at age 9, making his first competitive century break at age 10, and winning the British Under-16 Championship at age 13. At the 1991 English Amateur Championship , aged 15 years and 98 days, he made his first competitive maximum break , then
10005-679: The WPBSA submitted a bid for snooker to be included at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics , but without success. Since its launch in October 2017, the World Snooker Federation (WSF) has been advocating for snooker to be added to the Olympic and Paralympic programme. Their initial bid for the 2024 Paris Olympics was unsuccessful, but the WSF is campaigning for snooker to be included at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics . Olympic status would create
10150-564: The WPBSA under the World Seniors Tour , the highest level of the senior sport being the World Seniors Championship . World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) is a WPBSA subsidiary that organises events and playing aids in snooker and other cue sports for people with disabilities. The most prestigious amateur event in England is the English Amateur Championship ; first held in 1916, this
10295-532: The World Championship in 1953 (after the boycott of the 1952 event by British professionals), the World Professional Match-play Championship became the unofficial world championship. Fred Davis won the tournament every year from 1952 to 1956 but did not enter the 1957 event. John Pulman won in 1957 and was the most successful player of the 1960s, winning the world title seven times between April 1964 and March 1968 while
10440-463: The World Championship was being contested at irregular intervals on a challenge basis. Pulman's winning streak ended when the tournament reverted to a knockout format in 1968. Ray Reardon was the dominant force of the 1970s, winning six world titles (in 1970, 1973–1976, and 1978), and John Spencer won the world title three times (in 1969, 1971 and 1977). Steve Davis (no relation to Joe or Fred) won his first World Championship in 1981, becoming
10585-584: The World Women's Snooker Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Some leagues have allowed clubs to exclude female players from tournaments. A committee member of the Keighley league defended allowing such teams in the league as necessity: "If we lose two of these clubs [with the men-only policies] we would lose four teams and we can't afford to lose four teams otherwise we would have no league." A World Women's Snooker spokesperson commented, "It
10730-414: The ascending order of their values, from lowest to highest, i.e. yellow first (worth 2 points), then green (3 points), brown (4 points), blue (5 points), pink (6 points), and finally black (7 points); at this stage of the game, each colour remains in the pocket after being potted. When the final ball is potted, the player who has accumulated the most points wins
10875-423: The balls to their previous positions after the " miss " rule has been invoked (see Scoring below), and cleaning the cue ball or any object ball upon request by the striker. Another duty of the referee is to recognise and declare a stalemate when neither player is able to make any progress in the frame. If both players agree, the balls are returned to their starting positions (known as a " re-rack ") and
11020-491: The broadcaster BBC commissioned the television series Pot Black , later airing daily coverage of the World Championship which was first televised in 1978 . The most prominent players of the modern era are Ray Reardon (1970s), Steve Davis (1980s) and Stephen Hendry (1990s), each winning at least six world titles. Since 2000, Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Championship seven times, most recently in 2022. Top professional players compete in regular tournaments around
11165-411: The career of a professional player. A maximum break in snooker (often known as a "147" or a "maximum") is achieved by potting all reds with blacks, then potting all six colours in sequence, yielding 147 points. As of 15 April 2024, there have been 202 officially confirmed maximum breaks achieved in professional competition. Penalty points are awarded to a player when their opponent commits
11310-831: The centre of each of the two longer side cushions. One drawback of using a full-size table is the amount of space required to accommodate it, which limits the locations where the game can easily be played. The minimum room size that allows space on all sides for comfortable cueing is 22 ft × 16 ft (6.7 m × 4.9 m). While pool tables are common to many pubs , snooker tends to be played either in private settings or in public snooker halls . The game can also be played on smaller tables, with variant table sizes including 10 ft × 5 ft (305 cm × 152 cm), 9 ft × 4.5 ft (274 cm × 137 cm), 8 ft × 4 ft (244 cm × 122 cm), and 6 ft × 3 ft (183 cm × 91 cm). The cloth on
11455-478: The championship was sponsored by tobacco company Embassy from 1976 to 2005 and has since been sponsored by various betting companies after the introduction of an EU-wide ban on the advertising of tobacco products. The World Championship is the most highly valued title in professional snooker, in terms of financial reward (the tournament has carried a £500,000 winner's prize since 2019), ranking points and prestige. The UK Championship , held annually since 1977,
11600-414: The cue; a triangle for racking the reds; and a scoreboard , typically attached to a wall near the snooker table. A traditional snooker scoreboard resembles an abacus and records the points scored by each player for the current frame in units and twenties, as well as the frame scores. A simple scoring bead is sometimes used, called a "scoring string" or "scoring wire". Each segment of
11745-413: The defending champion Mark Selby 10–4 in the final to claim his fifth Masters title. At the 2014 World Championship , he reached a third consecutive world final, where he again faced Selby. Despite taking a 10–5 lead, O'Sullivan lost 18–14, his first defeat in a world final. Later in 2014, he won his fifth UK Championship , beating Judd Trump 10–9 in the final. However, he declined to defend his title
11890-528: The early hours of the morning to watch the conclusion of the World Championship final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis , a record viewership in the UK for any broadcast on BBC Two and for any broadcast after midnight. As professional snooker grew as a mainstream sport, it became heavily dependent on tobacco advertising . Cigarette brand Embassy sponsored the World Snooker Championship for thirty consecutive years from 1976 to 2005, one of
12035-583: The end of every season, after the World Championship; these year-end lists are used for pre-qualification at certain tournaments and for tour-card guarantees. The top 16 players in the world ranking list, generally regarded as the "elite" of the professional snooker circuit, are not required to pre-qualify for some of the tournaments, such as the Shanghai Masters , the Masters and the World Snooker Championship. Certain other events, such as those in
12180-513: The fact, in a letter to The Field magazine published on 19 March 1938. Snooker became increasingly popular across the Indian colonies of the British Raj and in the United Kingdom, but it remained a game played mostly by military officers and the gentry . Many gentlemen's clubs with a snooker table would refuse entry to non-members who wished to go in and play snooker; to cater for
12325-483: The final of the 1993 UK Championship seven days before his 18th birthday to become the youngest ever winner of a ranking event, a record he still holds. In the following season , he won the 1995 Masters aged 19 years and 69 days to become the youngest Masters champion. Between 1996 and 1999, O'Sullivan reached three World semi-finals in four years. At the 1997 World Championship , he achieved his first maximum break in professional competition. Compiled in
12470-457: The final, after which he held the world number one ranking for the next two seasons. He added his fourth Masters title in 2009 . After two poor seasons that saw him fall out of the top ten in the world rankings for the first time, he began working with psychiatrist Steve Peters in 2011. A resurgent O'Sullivan captured his fourth World title in 2012 , defeating Carter 18–11 in the final, after which he paid tribute to Peters' work with him. In
12615-412: The final. This article related to snooker is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Snooker Snooker (pronounced UK : / ˈ s n uː k ər / SNOO -kər , US : / ˈ s n ʊ k ər / SNUUK -ər ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize , with six pockets : one at each corner and one in
12760-458: The first year of a two-year tour card, and the top four prize money earners during the most recent season who are not already qualified; this being assessed after the World Championship. The oldest current professional snooker tournament is the World Snooker Championship , which has taken place as an annual event most years since 1927. Hosted at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977,
12905-417: The following year and pulled out of the 2015 UK Championship , citing debilitating insomnia. At the 2015 Masters , he made his 776th century break in professional competition, surpassing Hendry's record for the most career centuries. O'Sullivan won two consecutive Masters tournaments in 2016 and 2017 for a record seven Masters titles. He also won two consecutive UK Championships in 2017 and 2018 for
13050-472: The foul shot. If dissatisfied with the position left after a foul, the next player may nominate the opponent who committed the foul to continue playing from where the balls have come to rest. If the referee has also called a "miss"—meaning that the offending player is deemed not to have made their best possible attempt to hit the object ball—the next player has the option of having the balls replaced to their original positions and forcing their opponent to replay
13195-413: The frame is restarted, with the same player taking the break-off shot as in the abandoned frame. Professional players usually play the game in a sporting manner, declaring fouls they have committed that the referee has not noticed, acknowledging good shots from their opponent, and holding up a hand to apologise for a fortunate shot (known as a " fluke "). Points in snooker are gained from potting
13340-406: The frame. If there are not enough points remaining on the table for a player to potentially win the frame, that player may offer to concede the frame while at the table (but not while their opponent is still at the table); a frame concession is a common occurrence in professional snooker. However, players will often play on even when there are not enough points available for them to win, in
13485-580: The game for a subscription fee. Assisted by Alan McManus , the course contains 12 episodes, each an hour in length, of which the final batch of episodes was released in March 2024. The course has a cinematic production and was directed by Oscar -nominated director Gregg Helvey, and episodes are available in English and Mandarin Chinese. O'Sullivan was born on 5 December 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands ,
13630-517: The goal of driving its international appeal. As part of this deal, O'Sullivan created a special snooker series for the network called The Ronnie O'Sullivan Show , which included his insights into the game, interviews with other professional players, and playing tips. He also wrote for Yahoo! websites and mobile apps during the 2014 World Championship . He frequently appears as a pundit on Eurosport's snooker coverage, alongside Jimmy White and Neal Foulds . In 2015 and 2016, O'Sullivan co-hosted
13775-481: The growing interest, smaller and more open snooker clubs were formed. The Billiards Association (formed in 1885) and the Billiards Control Club (formed in 1908) merged to form the Billiards Association and Control Club (BA&CC) and a new, standardised set of rules for snooker was first established in 1919. The possibility of a drawn game was abolished by the use of a re-spotted black as
13920-489: The highest number of officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition, with 15, and holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest competitive maximum break, compiled in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds at the 1997 World Championship . During his career, O'Sullivan has experienced depression, mood swings, and drug and alcohol abuse. Known as a controversial and outspoken figure on
14065-411: The hope of laying one or more " snookers " to force their opponent into playing foul shots. Snookers are shots designed to make it difficult for the opponent to play a legal shot on their next turn, such as leaving another ball between the cue ball and the object ball. If the scores are equal when all object balls have been potted, the black is used as a tiebreaker in a situation called
14210-416: The intended shot. If, after a foul, it is not possible to cleanly strike both sides of the object ball directly, the referee may call a free ball, allowing the next player to nominate any other ball in place of the object ball they might normally have played. If a player is awarded a free ball with all fifteen reds still in play, they can potentially make a break exceeding 147 , with the highest possible being
14355-456: The longest-running deals in British sports sponsorship. In the early 2000s, a ban on tobacco advertising led to a reduction in the number of professional tournaments, which decreased from twenty-two events in 1999 to fifteen in 2003. The sport had become more popular in Asia with the emergence of players such as Ding Junhui and Marco Fu , and still received significant television coverage in
14500-473: The mid-2000s as he battled clinical depression . During the 2005 World Championship , he shaved his head mid-tournament and exhibited what The Independent called a "public emotional disintegration" while losing 11 of the last 14 frames in his quarter-final defeat against Peter Ebdon . At the 2005 UK Championship , he sat with a wet towel draped over his head during his match against Mark King . Trailing Hendry 4–1 in their best-of-17-frames quarter-final at
14645-439: The middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in India in the second half of the 19th century, the game is played with 22 balls, comprising a white cue ball , 15 red balls and 6 other balls—a yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black—collectively called ' the colours '. Using a snooker cue , the individual players or teams take turns to strike the cue ball to pot other balls in
14790-542: The most popular cue sport in the United Kingdom. Joe Davis was the World Champion for twenty years, retiring unbeaten in the event after claiming his fifteenth world title in 1946 when the tournament was reinstated after the Second World War. During his entire professional career, Davis remained undefeated when playing on equal terms, although he did lose some matches in handicapped tournaments. He
14935-470: The most popular players on the circuit, he is noted for being a "showman", and is credited with helping improve the image of snooker with the general public. He has often been compared with Alex Higgins and Jimmy White for his natural talent and popularity. In December 2020 , O'Sullivan was nominated for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award , becoming the first snooker player to receive
15080-516: The most recent being Judd Trump who completed the Triple Crown in May 2019. The Triple Crown events are televised in the UK by the BBC, while most other tournaments are broadcast across Europe on the Eurosport network, or ITV Sport , as well as numerous other broadcasters internationally. After facing some criticism for matches taking too long, Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn introduced
15225-503: The nickname "The Rocket" after winning a best-of-nine frame match in a record 43 minutes during his debut season as a professional. A prolific break builder and great tactical player, he has stated his disdain for long, drawn-out games, saying that they harm the game of snooker. O'Sullivan is ambidextrous , as he is right-handed but can play to a high standard with his left hand and routinely alternates when needed, enabling him to attempt shots with his left hand that would otherwise require
15370-923: The novels are not autobiographical, they are loosely based on his early experiences and family life. He has also written two autobiographies. His first, Ronnie: The Autobiography of Ronnie O'Sullivan , was published in 2003; and his second, Running: The Autobiography , was published in 2013. He has also co-authored a health and fitness book with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert entitled Top of Your Game: Eating for Mind and Body . Published in 2019, it contains healthy recipes and advice for "living better, eating healthier and feeding your brain to enhance your performance". O'Sullivan has been involved with several video games, including Virtual Snooker on DOS and Windows in 1996, PlayStation and Xbox game World Snooker Championship 2007 in 2007, and Ronnie O'Sullivan's Snooker for PlayStation Portable in 2012. A documentary film titled Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything
15515-440: The object balls in the correct sequence. The total number of consecutive points (excluding fouls) that a player amasses during one visit to the table is known as a "break". For example, a player could achieve a break of 15 by first potting a red followed by a black, then another red followed by a pink, before failing to pot the next red. A break of 100 points or more is referred to as a century break ; these are recorded over
15660-422: The player has been awarded a free ball , which allows them to nominate another object ball in place of a red. The cue ball can contact an object ball directly or it may be made to bounce off one or more cushions before hitting the required object ball. The game continues until all 15 red balls have been potted and only the 6 colours and the cue ball are left on the table. The colours must next be potted in
15805-446: The player will concede penalty points. When a red ball has entered a pocket, the striker must then choose a coloured ball (or "colour") and attempt to pot it. If successful, the value of the potted colour is added to the player's score, and the colour is returned to its designated spot on the table. The player must then pot another red ball followed by another colour. The process of alternately potting reds and colours continues until
15950-517: The potential of the BBC 's new colour television service—the green table and multi-coloured balls provided an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of the new broadcasting technology. The series became a ratings success and was, for a time, the second-most popular show on BBC2 after Morecambe and Wise . Due to these developments, the year 1969 is taken to mark the beginning of snooker's modern era. The World Snooker Championship moved in 1977 to
16095-451: The professional sport of snooker. World Snooker Ltd is responsible for the professional tour which is owned by both the WPBSA and Matchroom Sport . Every player on the World Snooker Tour is assigned a position on the WPBSA's official world ranking list, which is used to determine the seedings and the level of qualification each player requires for the tournaments on the professional circuit. The current world rankings are determined using
16240-442: The professional tour in the 2010–11 season and upgraded to a ranking event in 2017 . Other games have been designed with an increased number of object balls in play. One example is "snooker plus", which included two additional colours: an orange ball worth eight points positioned between pink and blue, and a purple ball worth ten points positioned between brown and blue, increasing the maximum possible break to 210. Introduced at
16385-496: The qualifying rounds of the main World Snooker Championship on five occasions, reaching the second round in 2017. Evans holds the record for the highest break made in WWS competition, having achieved a 140 break twice (in 2008 and 2010). Other successful female players are Kelly Fisher (with five women's world titles), Ng On-yee (with three), and most recently Nutcharut Wongharuthai , Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan and Bai Yulu , who won
16530-428: The quarter-final, becoming the first player to compete in 100 matches at the Crucible, but lost 10–13 to eventual winner Luca Brecel . At the invitational 2023 Shanghai Masters , O'Sullivan defeated Brecel 11–9 in the final to claim his fourth consecutive, and fifth total, Shanghai Masters title, extending his winning streak at the tournament to 18 matches since 2017 . He won record-extending eighth titles at both
16675-459: The record for the fastest maximum break achieved in competitive play. Initially, Guinness World Records recorded the time at 5 minutes and 20 seconds, but subsequent evidence has suggested that the BBC started the timer too early on the break. Depending on the timing methodology used, the break took between 5 minutes 8 seconds and 5 minutes 15 seconds; both World Snooker and Guinness World Records now officially acknowledge
16820-637: The regular ranking tournaments. The event was removed from the professional tour after the 2012–13 season, when the Champion of Champions was re-established; players qualify for this tournament by virtue of winning other events in the season, with sixteen champions competing. Classified as a "precision sport" by the International Olympic Committee , snooker has never been contested at the Summer Olympics . In 2015,
16965-403: The same manner, the effect of the nap will differ according to whether the ball is directed towards the baulk line or towards the opposite end of the table. A snooker ball set consists of 22 unmarked balls: 15 reds , 6 coloured balls , and 1 white cue ball. The colours are one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black, although the brown and blue balls were not
17110-410: The season, causing burnout of players. O'Sullivan played only a subset of tournaments in 2012, so he could spend more time with his children; as a result he ended the 2012–13 season ranked 19th in the world despite being the world champion. O'Sullivan played only one tournament in 2013, the World Championship , which he won. He suggested that a "breakaway tour" with fewer events would be beneficial to
17255-606: The second half of the 19th century in India during the British Raj . In the 1870s, billiards was popular among British Army officers stationed in Jubbulpore , India, and several variations of the game were devised during this time. A similar game, which originated at the Officers' Mess of the 11th Devonshire Regiment in 1875, combined the rules of two pool games: pyramids , played with 15 red balls positioned in
17400-399: The shorter time. O'Sullivan also holds the record for the total number of century breaks , compiling more than 1,200 in professional competition. He scored his 1,200th century in a second-round match against Hossein Vafaei at the 2023 World Snooker Championship . At the 2022 Scottish Open , O'Sullivan scored a century in 3 minutes and 34 seconds—just 3 seconds slower than
17545-544: The son of Ronald John and Maria ( née Catalano) O'Sullivan, who ran a string of sex shops in the Soho area of London. His mother is originally from Sicily , and O'Sullivan spent childhood holidays in the village near Agrigento where she grew up. He was brought up in the Manor Road area of Chigwell, Essex , where he lived for some years. As of 2024, he lives in the adjoining area of Chingford and Woodford Green . He
17690-434: The sport and take part in high-level amateur competitions. The leading tournament on the women's tour is the World Women's Snooker Championship , the winner of which receives a two-year tour card to the main professional tour. Reanne Evans won the women's world title a record twelve times, including ten consecutive victories from 2005 to 2014 . She has also participated on the World Snooker Tour and has taken part in
17835-478: The sport through the 1990s, winning the World Championship seven times (in 1990, 1992–1996, and 1999). Ronnie O'Sullivan has claimed the most world titles since 2000, having won the World Championship seven times (in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022). John Higgins and Mark Selby have both won four world titles (Higgins in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011; Selby in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021), and Mark Williams three (in 2000, 2003 and 2018). O'Sullivan
17980-437: The sport, but none was organised. Some players, including 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy , have asserted that a 128-player professional tour is financially unsustainable. Lower-ranked professional players can struggle to make a living from the sport, especially after paying tournament entry fees, travel costs and other expenses. In 2023, Stephen Maguire criticised the World Snooker Tour and WPBSA, claiming that "the game
18125-523: The sport; Dutch referee Jan Verhaas became the first non-Briton to referee a World Championship final in 2003 , while Michaela Tabb became the first woman to do so in 2009 . Tabb was the only woman refereeing on the professional tour when she joined it in 2002, but tournaments now routinely feature female referees such as Desislava Bozhilova , Maike Kesseler , and Tatiana Woollaston . A standard full-size snooker table measures 12 ft × 6 ft (365.8 cm × 182.9 cm), with
18270-612: The sport; these cards are issued at the discretion of the World Snooker Board, and have been awarded to players including Steve Davis , James Wattana , Jimmy White , and Stephen Hendry . Some additional secondary tours have been contested over the years. A two-tier structure was adopted for the 1997–98 snooker season ; comprising six tournaments known as the WPBSA Minor Tour was open to all professionals, but only ran for one season. A similar secondary UK Tour
18415-534: The standard game but with fewer object balls, reducing the time taken to play each frame. The Six-red World Championship , which is contested annually in Bangkok , Thailand, has been a regular fixture on the World Snooker Tour since 2012 . A World Women's 10-Red Championship was held annually in Leeds, England, from 2017 to 2019. Geographic variations exist in the United States and Brazil, while speed versions of
18560-514: The standard game have been developed in the United Kingdom. American snooker is an amateur version of the game played almost exclusively in the United States. With simplified rules and generally played on smaller tables, this variant dates back to 1925. Sinuca brasileira (or "Brazilian snooker") is a variant of snooker played exclusively in Brazil, with fully divergent rules from the standard game and using only one red ball instead of fifteen. At
18705-416: The standard game. Ronnie O%27Sullivan Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan OBE (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he holds jointly with Stephen Hendry . He has also won a record eight Masters titles and
18850-437: The standard of new players coming into snooker, stating that he would have to "lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50". He was also critical of the tournament organisers' decision to allow fans into the final during the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2021, O'Sullivan claimed on a podcast interview that most snooker players had wasted their lives. He called snooker a "bad sport" that can cause "a lot of damage", suggesting that
18995-417: The start of the game, the matches were limited to a fixed game-play period of 30 minutes. Tenball was a snooker variant designed specifically for the television show of the same name, an LWT production that was broadcast for one series in 1995. An extra ball worth ten points (the yellow and black "tenball") was added between the blue and pink, and the game had a slightly revised set of rules compared to
19140-410: The start of the game, the single red is positioned halfway between the pink ball and the side cushion, and the break-off shot cannot be used to pot the red or place the opponent in a snooker. The Snooker Shoot Out is a variant snooker tournament consisting of single-frame matches for an accelerated format. First staged in 1990 , the idea was resurrected in 2011 with a modified version that was added to
19285-409: The striker fails to pot the desired object ball or commits a foul—at which point the opponent comes to the table to start the next turn—or when there are no red balls remaining in play. Points accumulated by potting successive object balls are called a " break " (see Scoring below). At the start of each player's turn, the objective is to first pot a red ball, unless all reds are off the table or
19430-404: The string (bead) represents one point as the players can move one or several beads along the string. Additional accessories include cue tips of varying hardness to suit player preferences, anti-slip cue grips for better control, and specialized table brushes and cloths to maintain optimal table conditions. A player wins a frame by scoring more points than their opponent. At the start of a frame,
19575-524: The world rankings. He won his third UK Championship later that year, which helped him attain the world number one ranking for the first time in the 2002–03 season . With veteran six-time World Champion Ray Reardon acting as his coach and mentor, he won his second World title in 2004 , defeating Graeme Dott 18–8 in the final, after which he held the number one ranking for the next two seasons. He added his second Masters title in 2005 , ten years after his first. His behaviour became notably erratic in
19720-545: The world, earning millions of pounds on the World Snooker Tour —a circuit of international events featuring competitors of many different nationalities. The World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters together make up the Triple Crown Series and are considered by many players to be the most highly valued titles. The main professional tour is open to both male and female players, and there
19865-572: The youngest and oldest winner of both the UK Championship and the Masters. He won his 41st ranking title at the 2024 World Grand Prix with a 10–7 victory over Trump in the final, and went on to win the invitational 2024 World Masters of Snooker , the first professional snooker tournament held in Saudi Arabia, defeating Brecel 5–2 in the final. He signed a three-year ambassadorial deal with Saudi Arabia, which requires him to play in all World Snooker Tour events staged in that country, to establish
20010-513: The youngest player ever to do so in a recognised tournament. In the same year, he won the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship and Junior Pot Black . After turning professional in 1992, aged 16, he won 74 of his first 76 qualifying matches, including a record 38 consecutive professional victories. He qualified for the televised stages of the 1993 World Championship , losing 10–7 to Alan McManus on his Crucible debut. He claimed his first ranking title later that year, beating Hendry 10–6 in
20155-579: Was a painting set and his favourite disc was " That's All " by Genesis . On 31 October 2024, O'Sullivan obtained Hong Kong residency under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme . O'Sullivan has completed 15 maximum breaks in professional competition, from his first in the 1997 World Snooker Championship against Mick Price to his 2018 English Open maximum against Allan Taylor . His first official maximum in 1997, completed in 5 minutes and 8 seconds, holds
20300-407: Was a well-established derogatory term used to describe inexperienced or first-year military personnel. In the early 20th century, snooker was predominantly played in the United Kingdom, where it was considered a "gentleman's sport" until the early 1960s before growing in popularity as a national pastime and eventually spreading overseas. The standard rules of the game were first established in 1919 when
20445-485: Was also discontinued in 1957. In an effort to boost the game's popularity, Davis introduced a variation known as " snooker plus " in 1959, with the addition of two extra colours, but this version of the game was short-lived. A world championship for top amateur players, now known as the IBSF World Snooker Championship , was founded in 1963, and the official world championship was revived on
20590-627: Was first played from the 1997–98 season, which was renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000, Players Tour Championship in 2010 and returned as the Challenge Tour in 2018. The global governing body for professional snooker is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), founded in 1968 as the Professional Billiards Players' Association. The WPBSA owns and publishes the official rules of snooker, and has overall responsibility for policy-making in
20735-401: Was only ever beaten on level terms by his younger brother Fred Davis , but not until after he had retired from professional play. By 1947, Fred Davis was deemed by his older brother ready to become World Champion, but he lost that year's world final to Walter Donaldson . Davis and Donaldson contested the next four world finals, with Davis winning three of the four. With the abandonment of
20880-564: Was produced by David Beckham 's production company Studio 99, directed by filmmaker Sam Blair, and distributed by MetFilms. The film premiered in London on 21 November 2023, and was released on Amazon Prime Video on 23 November. It highlighted the hardships he faced as a professional at the highest level of snooker, as well as how his personal life had impacted his career. In October 2023, O'Sullivan launched an online snooker course entitled The Rocket Method, where he provides in-depth lessons on
21025-423: Was treated for drug-related issues and bouts of depression. Since 2011, psychiatrist and sports psychologist Steve Peters , a close friend, has helped him overcome his mood swings . He is also a close friend of artist Damien Hirst . Noted for repeatedly declaring his intention to retire, O'Sullivan took an extended break from the professional snooker tour during the 2012–13 season , during which he worked on
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